Elliptical spring.



No. 697,865. Patented Apr. l5, I902.

C. A. MILLER.

ELLIPTICAL SPRING.

(Application filed Mar. 15, 1901.)

(No Model.)

Fries.

CHARLES A. MILLER, OF MARSHALLTOWN, IOWA.

ELLIPTICAL SPRING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 697,865, dated April15, 1902. Application filed March 15. 1901. Serial No. 51,252. (Nomodel.)

To aZZ whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, CHARLES A. MILLER, a citizen of the United States ofAmerica, and a resident of Marshalltown, Marshall county, Iowa, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Elliptical Springs, ofwhich the following is a specification.

The object of this invention is to provide improved means of building upor constructing an elliptical or semi-elliptical spring forrailway-cars, locomotives, tenders, and the like in which the leaves ofthe spring are retained against lateral and longitudinal movementrelative to their support either with or without the use of bands orclamps.

My invention consists of a leaf for an elliptical spring, the centralportion of which leaf is shaped with offset or struck-up side marginsand a depressed central teat or stud, several of said leaves whensuperimposed resting upon and nesting with each other in such manner asto limitand determine any lateral orlongitudinal movement of one leafrelative to another or to the base on which the whole is mounted.

My invention consists, further, in the construction, arrangement, andcombination of elements hereinafter set forth, pointed out in my claims,and illustrated by the accompanying drawings, in Wl1l 3l1' Figure 1 is aside elevation of the lower half of an elliptical spring, partly insection, illustrating my improved construction. Fig. 2 is a transversevertical section on the indicated line 2 2 of Fig. 1. Fig.3 is atransverse section on the indicated line 2 2 of Fig. 1, with theaddition thereto of a clamp or band that may be employed or not, asdesired. Fig. & is a plan of a single leaf constructed in accordancewith my invention.

In the construction of the device as shown the numeral 10 designates asaddle or similar bearing, having an angularly-concaved seat in itsupper face and a conical depression or recess in the center of saidseat. A springleaf 11 is provided and formed with a teat or stud 12,stamped downwardly from its exact center, which teat or stud is of suchsize as to fit within the recess or depression in the center of thesaddle. Portions 13 1a of the springleaf 11 are struck up, stampedupwardly, or offset from the body of the leaf on each side to the teator stud 12 and have their ridges or.

apices in line with and on the opposite sides of the vertical center ofsaid stud and their margins approximately at angles of forty-fivedegrees from the line of theirapices,the edge mar- I gins or cornersrising dome-shaped or vaulting at angles of'about twenty degrees fromthe horizontal. Other springs 15 16 17 18 19 2O 21, constructedidentical with the springleaf 11 except as to length, are superimposedone upon the other on said spring-leaf l1, and the teats and struck-upportions of said springleaves inter-engage or nest with each other insuccession. The engagement of the teat 12 in the depression or recess inthe center of the seat of the saddle 10 and the extension of thestruck-up portions of the said leaf 11 upon corresponding elevations insaid seat of the saddle provides for a stable seating of the leaf, andthe engagement of superimposed leaves with the first leaf and with eachother insures their stable retention as component parts of the Whole. Atthe same time the inherent vibration of individual leaves is'notobstructed, and the extremities thereof may rise and fall under thevibration of the weight carried thereby without material restriction,thus cushioning the weight.

In the construction of the spring-leaves and their mounting as shown andabove described I do not perforate the central portions thereof norremove therefrom any of their substance, and hence the resulting articleis of equal resilience with and greater strength than a leaf made planein its central portion. Thus I am enabled to produce a device in whichthe leaves are nested and will retain their positions and theirequilibrium without the use of bands, straps, or clampsover theircenters. However, as illustrated in Fig. 3, bands may be provided andformed of two sections 23 24, shaped at their lower ends to fit thesaddle 10 and shaped at their upper ends to fit the leaf 21. The bandmembers 23 24 need not be secured by means of bolts or other fastenings,since they are retained securely by the formation of their lower endsnesting in the seat of the saddle.

My present invention is an improvement on the device for which LettersPatent of the United States No. 636,828 were granted to me November 14,1899, and in which the margins of the spring-leaves were struck down attheir central portions. Such striking down of the central portions ofthe edges of the spring-leaves resulted in materially increasing therigidity of each leaf, the struck-down portions acting as braces anddestroying the desired elasticity of the springs at the center.

or depression has been combined with struckup side margins to hold thespring together longitudinally when used without bands or clamps.

I claim as my invention- A leaf for an elliptical spring, which leaf isformed of bar metal and has a stud stamped 0n the contrary, the presentinvention forms the leaves with the central portions of in its centerand portions struck up on either side of and spaced apart from said studand extending laterally to the long margins of the leaf.

2. A leaf or plate for an elliptical spring, having struck-up portionsin the centers of its long edges and a central teat or stud between saidstruck-up portions.

3. The combination of a saddle formed with a seat in its upper face, theplurality of springleaves, each formed with a central depressed teat andstruck-up angular portions in the centers of its long edges, conformingto and nesting with each other successively, the lowermost leafconforming to and nesting in the seat of its support, together withcounterpart band members shaped to embrace the several leaves jointlyand also shaped to conform to the upper and lower faces of thecollocation of leaves and to the upper face of the saddle, in which bandmembers the springleaves are mounted loosely.

Signed at Marshalltown, Iowa, this 31st day of October, 1900.

CHARLES A. MILLER.

Witnesses: 1

PERRY M. PAULLIN, WILL. S. DAVIS.

